Electric meter service appliance



J. SACHS ELECTRIC METER SERVICE APPLIANCE Filed April 2, 1932 April 25, 1933.

c/USEDU/Z 5a 5225 71 72 2: rungy Patented Apr. 25 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH SACHS, OEWEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT ELECTRIC METER SERVICE APPLIANCE Application filed April 2, 1932. Serial No. 602,861.

The present invention relates particularly Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken to-a meter service appliance having switchalong the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. ing connectors or members and meter testing Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken connectors or members, which connectors or along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

5 members are adapted to be connected in the In the drawing I have shown an insuseveral circuit wires leading to and from, lating base structure which may conveniently the meter. While not necessarily so limited comprise two separate bases 1, 1. The base th t, i v tio i rti l ly applicastructure, whether consisting of two sepabl t a meter vi appfiance h i th rate bases or otherwise constructed, has two fuses are ith r itt d ti l or are portions of substantially identical construcmounted entirely independently of th tion. Vhen there are two separate bases each switching and testing connecto of the said bases constitutes one of the said bers. portions. The base structure is held in place One of the objects of the invention is to by screws 1, 1, and when th said b provide an applianc f thi ty whi h structure is secured to the rear wall of an mits the switching and testing members to enclOSlIlg here may be prov ded an inbe interchangeably assembled with the base telposed Sheet of lnsulathlg material structure so as to permit different electri- Mounted on Q P F base 1 there; 15 cal connections with minimum structural at 1938.1? One P l and If necessary two pairs 0 changes in th li of stationary switch contacts 2 and 3. Pref- A f th bj t f th i ti i t erably and as shown the base is provided with vide a device of the class described wherein an p g 4 extendlng r m rom to real the base structure or unit is so constructed and the two Contacts extend I' nI he front that without any changes whatsoever therein 0f the h l into the 531d p it can be used with a switching member Formed lntegmlly Wlth the contacts are movable in one direction or in one path, or tensions and mounted h ffontpf with a testing member movable in another the h and connected r p tlvely Wlth Wire direction or in n th th, terminals 5 and 6. \Vhenthere are two pairs A still further object of the invention is to of a s on each p r n or base 1 they provide certain improved details of construcare of Slmllal tion except that they tion for the switching members so as to faare p e y leVjlfSed POSIPIODS 8S 111 11- cilitate manufacture and reduce costs. cated in the drawing. A banner 1 may be Still further objects of the invention will p ide bet e e w pair of contactsbe apparent from the following specification Each portion or base 1 with the contacts and claims. and connections thereon will be referred to In the accompanying drawing I have s a nt t hol ing unit. shown one embodiment of the invention In association wi ch p contacts which I have found to be satisfactory, but each base s provided with two difierently o it will be understood that the drawing i n t positioned means thereon respectively adaptto be construed as defining or limiting the d for controlling the movement of two difscope'of the invention, the claims forming ferent optionally usable circuit making and a part of this specification beingrelied upon breaking members. These-controlling means for that purpose. a may be varied, but preferably they consist of 5 Of the drawing: a guideways formed directly on or in the base Fig. 1 is a front view of a meter service itself. Formed in the base at the rear there- I appliance embodying the invention, the front of is a groove? which intersects the correcover of the enclosing box being broken away p ndmg opening 4 and this groove is adaptin art.

ed to receive and guide a vertically movable 5 ig. 2 is a bottom view, the enclosing box switching member which comprises an insum. being shown in section. lating plate 8 with a conducting element 9 thereon. The switching member is guided at the rear by the rear wall of the enclosing box or by the interposed insulating sheet 1 lVhen the switching member 89 is in its lower position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, electrical connection is established bet-ween the two contacts 2 and 3. When the switching member is moved upward from the position shown the electrical connection is broken.

The walls of the before-mentioned opening 4 preferably constitute the second guideway. A manually movable circuit making and breaking member is provided adapted to enter this guideway, the said member comprising an insulating plate 11 with a conducting element 12 thereon. The plate 11 is so shaped at the front as to be adapted to be conveniently moved manually. \Vhen the member 11-12 is in its rearmost position as shown in Fig. 1. electrical connection is established between the corresponding stationary contacts. The member 1112 may be entirely removed in the forward direction and when so removed the connection between the said contacts is broken.

Insofar as concerns certain phases of my invention the details of the circuit making and breaking members 8-9 and 11-12 may be widely varied. However, another phase of the invention relates specifically to the said details which will now be more particularly described.

Referring to Fig. 3 it will be observed that the insulating plate 8 is provided with two opposite notches 8 and 8 formed respectively in the front and rear edges thereof. The conducting element 9 consists of a strip of sheet metal bent to form a substantially closed loop which extends into or through the notches 8 and 8 and which encloses that portion of the plate 8 which is positioned between the said notches. The loop formation of the conducting element 9 is more clearly shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that with this construction the manufacture and assembly of the circuit making and breakingmember is simple and inexpensive. The insulating plate can be easily punched with the notches 8 and 8 therein and the conducting element 9can be initially formed with the loop sufficiently open to permit it to he slipped into position on the insulating plate. Then by means of a suitable press the conducting element can be bent to its final shape, thus locking itself in position on the insulating plate.

The circuit making and breaking member 1112 is or may be similar in construction to the member 8-9 and repetition of the detailed description is unnecessary.

An operating member is provided and .when the base structure is mounted in an enclosing box such as 13 the operating member is preferably in the form of a cranked spindle 14 pivotally mounted in the side walls of the box. The operating member 14 includes a handle 14" on the exterior of the box. The insulating plate 8 of each switching member is provided with a slot 15 through which extends the cranked portion of the operating member 14. It will be evident that the operating member is thus adapted to move the switching members. \Vhen the handle 14 is in its uppermost position as shown the switching members are in their circuit closing positions. lVhen the handle is moved downward the switching members are moved upward to their open-circuit positions.

The upper end wall of the box 13 is preferably adapted for protective cooperation with a. portion of an electric meter M, the construction being such that the said portion of the meter can project into the box with a relatively close fit so as to prevent theft of current. The meter service appliance which is shown in the drawing may be variously connected with the meter and with the circuit wires and one arrangement of connections is shown in the drawing. Two of the service wires S are connected with the terminals 5 and 5 and the terminals 6 and 6 are connected with wires leading to the meter. The terminals 6 and 6 are connected with wires leading from the meter, and the load wires L are connected with the terminals 5 and 5.

With the particular arrangement of electrical connections which is shown the two switching members 89 are connected on the service side of the meter and are therefore adapted to connect and disconnect the meter with the service wires when the handle is operated. The two testing members 11-42 are interposed between the meter and the load wires and it will be evident that either or both load wires may be readily disconnected from the meter by manually removing one or both of the test members. If service to the customer is to be discontinued, the members 11-12 may be removed and the box then closed and locked. This provides an additional safeguard against any unauthorized restoration of the circuit connections.

It will be observed that the several screws which hold the .wire terminals in place are much longer than would otherwise be necessary, these screws being thus adapted for use as test contacts for the attachment of bypass connections or of leads connected with various meter testing instrumentalities.

I have already explained that the two portions of the base structure, that is, the two bases 1, 1 are of identical construction and that there are provided two guideways adjacent each pair of switch contacts. It will therefore 'be evident that various arrangements of switching and testing members can be provided. Fig. 1 shows one such arrange ment, but it will be observed that if preferred the two switching members 8-9 could be at the right instead of at the left and that the two testing members 1112 could be at the left instead of at the right. As shown the switching members are connected ahead of the meter and the testing members are connected after the meter, but if the said members were reversed as above suggested the testing members would be ahead of the meter and the switching members would be after the meter. The switching members may be at the center and the testing members may be at the sides. Other possible rearrangements of the switching and testing members are obviously possible.

When the two bases 1, 1 are entirely separate as shown and as is preferred considerable economy of manufacture is obtained. The two bases and also all of the electrical parts permanently mounted thereon are identical in construction and can thus be manufactured with a minimum of expense for molds and tools, and there is also less expense for storing, handling and the like. It will further be apparent that the unit structure is also available for use in other devices which might require only the switching function or only the meter testing function.

What I claim is: v

1. A contact holding unit for an electric circuit making and breaking device, comprising in combination, two stationary contacts, and a base supporting the contacts and having two separate differently positioned means thereon respectively adapted for controlling the movement of two different optionally usable circuit making and breaking members into and out of circuit making position between the said contacts.

2. A contact holding unit for an electric circuit making and breaking device, comprising in combination, two opposed stationary contacts, and a base supporting the contacts and having two separate guideways thereon at substantial angles to each other and each adapted for guiding a circuit making and breaking member into and out of circuit making position between the said contacts.

3. A contact holding unit for an electric circuit making and breaking device, comprising in combination, two opposed stationary contacts, and a base supporting the contacts and having two separate guideways thereon at substantial angles to each other and adapted respectively for guiding two different op tionally usable circuit making and breaking members into and out of circuit making positions between the said contacts.

4. A contact holding unit for an electric circuit making and breaking device, comprising in combination, two opposed stationary contacts, and a base supporting the contacts adjacent the rear thereof and having a groove at the rear thereof constituting a guideway adapted for guiding a circuit making and breaking memher into and out of circuit making position between the said contacts, the said base also having an opening from front to rear thereof constituting a guideway adapted for guiding a different circuit making and breaking member into and out of circuit making position between the said contacts.

5. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, an insulating base structure having two portions of substantially identical construction, each portion having two separate differently positioned means thereon respectively adapted for controlling the movement of two different optionally usable circuit making and breaking members, two pairs of opposed contacts mounted in identical positions on the respective portions of the base structure, an operating member supported separately from the base structure, a switching member engaging one controlling means on one portion of the base structure and connected with the operating member to be moved into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts, and a circuit making and breaking member engaging the other controlling means on the other portion of the base structure and manually movable independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

6. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, an insulating base structure having two portions of substantially identical construction, each portion having two separate guideways thereon at substantial angles to each other, two pairs of opposed contacts on the respective portions of the base structure adjacent both of the said guideways, an operating member supported separately from the base structure, a switching member engaging one guideway of one portion of the base structure and connected with the operating member to be moved thereby into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts, and a circuit making and breaking member engaging the other guideway of the other portion of the base structure and manually movable independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

7. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, two separate bases of identical construction and each having two sepa rate guideways thereon at substantial angles to each other, two pairs of opposed contacts on the respective bases adjacent both of the said guideways, an operating member supported separately from the bases, a switching member engaging one guideway of one base and connected with the operating member to be moved thereby into and out of circuit making positionv between the corresponding contacts, and a circuit making and breaking member engaging the other guideway of the other base and manually movable independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

8. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, two separate bases of identical construction and each having a groove at the rear constituting a guideway and each having an opening from front to rear intersecting the said groove and constituting a second guideway, two pairs of opposed contacts on the respective bases adjacent both of the said guideways, an operating member supported separately from the bases, a switching member engaging the first guideway of one base and connected with the operating member to be moved thereby parallelly with the rear of the base into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts, and a circuit making and breaking member entering the said opening and guided therein for manual movement backward and forward independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

9. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, a movable operating member, a base structure comprising two portions of substantially identical construction located in similar relationship to the operating member, each portion having two sepa ate differently positioned means thereon respectively adapted for controlling the movement of two different circuit making and breaking members, two pairs of opposed contacts mounted in identical positions on the respective portions of the base structure, and two difi'erent interchangeable circuit making and breaking members, one interchangeable member being adapted to engage one controlling means on either portion of the base structure and being connectible with the opera-ting member to be moved thereby into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts, and the other interchangeable member being adapted to engage the other controlling means on either portion of the base structure and to be manually moved independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

10. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, a movable operating memher, a base structure comprising two portions of substantially identical construction located in similar relationship to the operating member, each portion having two separate gnideways thereon at substantial angles to each other, two pairs of opposed contacts mounted in identical positions on the respective portions of the base structure and adjacent both guideways, and two different interchangeable circuit making and breaking members, one interchangeable member being adapted to engage one guideway on either portion of the base structure and being connectible with the operating member to be moved thereby into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts, and the other interchangeable member being adapted to engage the other guideway on either portion of the base structure and to be manually moved independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

11. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, a movable operating member, a base structure comprising two portions of substantially identical construction located in similar relationship to the operating member, each portion having a groove at the rear constituting a guideway and each having an opening from front to rear intersecting the said groove and constituting a second guideway, two pairs of opposed contacts mounted in identical positions on the respective portions of the base structure and adjacent both guideways, and two different interchangeable circuit making and breaking members. one interchangeable member being adapted to enter the rear groove in either portion of the base structure. and being connectible with the operating member to be moved thereby parallelly with the rear of the base structure into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts, and the other interchangeable member being adapted to enter the said opening in either portion of the base structure and to be guided therein for manual movement backward and forward independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

12. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, a movable operating member, two separate bases of identical construction located in similar relationship to the operating member. each base having two separate guideways thereon at substantial angles to each other, two pairs of opposed contacts mounted in identical positions on the respective bases and adjacent both guideways, and two difl'erent interchangeable circuit making and breaking members, one interchangeable member being adapted to engage one guideway on either base and being connectiblcwith the operating member to be moved thereby into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts. and the other interchangeable member being adapted to engage the other guideway on either base and to be manually moved independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts.

13. A meter service appliance comprising in combination, a movable operating member, two separate bases of identical construction located in similar relationship to the operating member, each base having a groove at the rear constituting a guideway and each having an opening from front to rear intersecting the said groove and constituting a second guideway, two pairs of opposed contacts mounted in identical positions on the respective bases and adjacent both guideways, and two different interchangeable circuit making and breaking members, one interchangeable member being adapted to enter the rear groove in either base and being connectible with the operating member to be moved thereby parallelly with the rear of the base into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts, and the other interchangea le member'being adapted to enter the said opening in either base and to be guided therein for manual movement backward and forward independently of the operating member into and out of circuit making position between the corresponding contacts. v 14. As an article of manufacture, a longitndinally movable circuit making and break ing member comprising in combination a. relatively thin flat plate of insulating material having opposite parallel guiding edges with two opposite notches formed respectively therein, and a contact element comprising a strip of sheet metal bent to form a substantially closed loop and positioned in the notches and substantially enclosing that portion of the plate between the notches. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of March, 1932.

( JOSEPH SACHS.

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